Jogging for Jesus?
We live on the street along the back gate of my children's school. On the best of mornings--post our usual in-house haste of getting dressed, combing hair, brushing teeth, and gobbling pancakes and fruit--I open the front door and watch my children mosey/walk/jog/sprint (depending on the time) the short distance across the street, through the jogging trail, across the yard and into the school.
This morning, as with most mornings, there is a couple jogging on the track. When my son crosses the woman's path, her husband half a track behind or ahead of her, she hands him something that he reads to slow his gait. Before he can make it into the school door, my shoes are on and I've sprinted across the street to see what she gave him.
Worry #1... that he actually accepted the small comic strip from the woman
As I left my son, stomping back across the yard and onto the track, I stand in the woman's path as she approaches. "I have no problem with you offering this to me but do not approach my children or any other children without their parents' permission." She replies with a vigorous nod of her head, as if she doesn't care to listen, "Jesus loves you!"
Was that ever in question?
As she jogs on, I contain my desire to shake her. I think of the words I will give my children when I pick them up this afternoon about remembering not to talk to strangers nor to accept ANYTHING from them.
The front office of the school promises that the Principal will confront the woman and remove them from the grounds that we all take for granted are safe. And not that the woman necessarily meant harm. But, it was her entitlement that incensed me; that she thought she had the right to approach my son and impose her literature on him. Or that what his parents are giving him needed a supplement that she felt she COULD... no, that she NEEDED to give directly to him without my/our knowledge or consent. What is that? Because I am BEYOND CERTAIN that if I had chosen, upon my morning exercise, to offer her child or any other some colorfully animated leaflet that said, "Are you a good person? Allah thinks so," I'd be more than excused from the school track.
shia
(also posted on www.myspace.com/groovenbuttafly)
3 comments:
Excused from track?! You would have been detained as a terrorist. Girl, I’m so glad you didn’t trip her and a yell “Well Jesus doesn’t love you, bitch!” because that’s what I would have done. This is exactly why I’ve been staying away from the general public lately. But I miss you. Call me.
Manda
Hi Shia,
My name is Gen a old friend of Maisha, you look so good, what a remarkable and beautiful woman you have turned out. How is Maisha? Let her know that her friend back in Oakland is missing and thinking about her for years now. Wishing to see her. If she can email me back at genvazquez@sbcglobal.net I would appreciate it very much.
What the hell?!?
It disturbs me that the school grounds are not secure. What's that about?! The very idea that folks with no business at the school could be there in the first place is UNACCEPTABLE!!
And what's more infuriating is that people (Christian or otherwise) are that brazen to approach our children right under our noses!!
I don't necessarily jump to violence, but RIGHT ON Amanda! It would have taken all of Jesus’ love to keep me from openin up a fresh can o' whoop-ass! FOR REAL!
So, have they returned? Are there others? Has the school made any changes? Probably not. You would think that the school district would do more to secure the grounds especially in these post-Columbine-Sept 11 days…
I'm going to call the school and ask about the security of the grounds while school is in session. This just don't sit right with me…
Val
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